Random Metra

[urbanguy0508]

On the BNSF line, how exactly do the loading gauges differ between freight trains and Metra’s trains? Is the difference in width drastic?

[cplanner13]

How are the mileposts for Metra’s stations determined?
 

Is it a measurement from Union Station to the location of a particular station’s building/shelter? If not, what endpoint do they use?

[Busjack]

3 minutes ago, cplanner13 said:

How are the mileposts for Metra’s stations determined?
 

Is it a measurement from Union Station to the location of a particular station’s building/shelter? If not, what endpoint do they use?

It is for the Milw District. Don't know about the others.

[NewFlyerMCI]

https://flip.it/egT6pF

Seems like Metra might not get that laundry list of upgrades they wanted, the local pols are opposed to the merger

[Busjack]

23 minutes ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

Seems like Metra might not get that laundry list of upgrades they wanted

I don't get this sentence. Metra concurs with the politicians that they don't want the KCS-CP merger, because it would result in more freight traffic on the MilwW line to the Bensenville Yard.

[NewFlyerMCI]

44 minutes ago, Busjack said:

I don't get this sentence. Metra concurs with the politicians that they don't want the KCS-CP merger, because it would result in more freight traffic on the MilwW line to the Bensenville Yard.

Yeah, but they had that itemized list of everything they wanted if the merger were to happen, and it was my understanding that most of those items would mitigate the increased traffic from the merger or otherwise allow for expansion of service

[Busjack]

10 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

Yeah, but they had that itemized list of everything they wanted if the merger were to happen, and it was my understanding that most of those items would mitigate the increased traffic from the merger or otherwise allow for expansion of service

The latest from Trains Magazine basically says those weren't going to happen.  The article says that CP is willing to make certain commitments about coordinating scheduling and dispatch, but threw out the affected suburbs' demands for $9 billion in improvements; thus the suburbs went to WGN. However, I don't see how trains between Kansas City and St. Paul would operate on lines shared with Metra.

This is about the same as the CN-EJ&E merger. Various demands were made on CN, and CN made promises, but the merger went through and about all that has happened is that federal funding was approved for a US 14 underpass in Barrington, with a small CN share. It will  take about 17 years between the merger and when the underpass might open.

[cplanner13]

What’s the term for the area in a Metra car where the doors open? Is it “vestibule?”

Also, what's the term for the parts where passengers can sit? Is it "galleries?" Does the "vestibule" connect the two "galleries" of a train car?

[Busjack]

4 minutes ago, cplanner13 said:

What’s the term for the area in a Metra car where the doors open? Is it “vestibule?”

Also, what's the term for the parts where passengers can sit? Is it "galleries?" Does the "vestibule" connect the two "galleries" of a train car?

Your first sentence is correct. However, the galleries are the upstairs area, and hence not connected to the vestibule (the stairs go down to the lower seating areas on each side). Sometimes the cars are called bi-level cars or gallery cars.

[cplanner13]

34 minutes ago, Busjack said:

Your first sentence is correct. However, the galleries are the upstairs area, and hence not connected to the vestibule (the stairs go down to the lower seating areas on each side). Sometimes the cars are called bi-level cars or gallery cars.

Is there a term for the "two halves" of the car connected by the vestibule? Or are they just called the car's seating areas?

[MTRSP1900-CTA3200]

On 7/6/2022 at 12:47 PM, urbanguy0508 said:

On the BNSF line, how exactly do the loading gauges differ between freight trains and Metra’s trains? Is the difference in width drastic?

Nippon Sharyo has dimensions of several of their commuter rail cars here, including various rail cars they have built for Metra.

Some freight cars can be particularly wide, even if they aren’t carrying oversized cargo. The well cars the railroads use are also low to the ground to accommodate the double stacks of containers. That means that there is a wide body freight car taking up space where there would only be the narrower trucks and undercarriage of a regular Metra car. I haven’t seen the difference in width at the platform, but I’ve heard that well cars can’t be brought on railroads that use third rails because of clearance issues.

[strictures]

On 7/19/2022 at 3:52 PM, cplanner13 said:

How are the mileposts for Metra’s stations determined?
 

Is it a measurement from Union Station to the location of a particular station’s building/shelter? If not, what endpoint do they use?

I've also wondered that.  Is it from the bumper posts at the track end or the Lake Street Tower for the up lines?

[NewFlyerMCI]

 

[Mr.NewFlyer1051]

On 8/3/2022 at 2:33 PM, NewFlyerMCI said:

 

i seen a pic on his twitter of a SC-44 Charger in the metra livery

[MetroShadow]

On 8/3/2022 at 12:33 PM, NewFlyerMCI said:

 

Chaotic energy. 

[Railguy]

Dont forget to comment on Metras strategic plan.  

[krzysiu221322]

I recently found out that in 1929 Chicago's City Council passed an ordinance mandating that the C&NW railroad (which is today Metra's UP-NW line) elevate its tracks from Foster Avenue to Ozark Avenue.

A digitized version of that ordinance can be viewed here: https://archive.org/details/proceedingsofcit107chic/page/860.

Does anyone know why that section of the railroad was never elevated? Looking at the date, I'm going to assume it had something to do with the Great Depression.

[curiousgent31385]

Here are the average interstation figures for all of Metra's lines. Information regarding a line's length and number of stations was pulled from Metra's "State of the System" report (https://metra.com/sites/default/files/2021-02/2020_State_of_the_System_Report.pdf).

The following equation was used to calculate the figures.

average interstation figure [in miles] = length of line[in miles]/(number of stations on the line - 1)

[Busjack]

On 1/25/2023 at 9:37 AM, curiousgent31385 said:

Here are the average interstation figures for all of Metra's lines.

Not that relevant, as major lines run skip zone during peak times, and, except for ME, most city stations are flag or quick stops. For instance, a 100 series ME train stops only at 59th,  57th, 53rd, 11th, Van Buren and Millennium after leaving Kensington. It doesn't stop every 4 blocks.

[curiousgent31385]

What are the distance designations for Metra’s fare zones?

[Busjack]

2 hours ago, curiousgent31385 said:

What are the distance designations for Metra’s fare zones?

They keep changing them. Look them up in the timetable for each line. For instance, the zones around Harvard were merged.

It used to be 5 miles, but isn't any more.

[renardo870]

On 1/27/2023 at 8:53 AM, Busjack said:

They keep changing them. Look them up in the timetable for each line. For instance, the zones around Harvard were merged.

It used to be 5 miles, but isn't any more.

Yes I believe Metra merged Zones J, K, L and M all into Zone J back in 2018 or 2019...definitely before the pandemic.???‍♂️

[busfan2847]

On 1/29/2023 at 3:11 PM, renardo870 said:

Yes I believe Metra merged Zones J, K, L and M all into Zone J back in 2018 or 2019...definitely before the pandemic.???‍♂️

Yes on July 15, 2018 Zone K stations (Kenosha, Antioch, McHenry and Woodstock) and the one Zone M station (Harvard) were added to the 5 existing Zone J stations. There were no stations in Zone L. Less than 1% of Metra passengers caught trains to zones K or M.

At the same time on the Metra Electric Blue Island Branch, the program will moved the Ashland, Racine, West
Pullman, Stewart Ridge and State Street stations from Zone D to C. On the Metra Electric mainline, the
83rd Street and 87th Street stations moved from Zone C to B. On the Rock Island Beverly Branch, the
123rd Street Station moved from Zone D to C.

[artthouwill]

38 minutes ago, busfan2847 said:

Yes on July 15, 2018 Zone K stations (Kenosha, Antioch, McHenry and Woodstock) and the one Zone M station (Harvard) were added to the 5 existing Zone J stations. There were no stations in Zone L. Less than 1% of Metra passengers caught trains to zones K or M.

At the same time on the Metra Electric Blue Island Branch, the program will moved the Ashland, Racine, West
Pullman, Stewart Ridge and State Street stations from Zone D to C. On the Metra Electric mainline, the
83rd Street and 87th Street stations moved from Zone C to B. On the Rock Island Beverly Branch, the
123rd Street Station moved from Zone D to C.

Don't forget that the entire South Chicago branch of the Metra Electric us now a Zone B.

With the Cook County fare pilot, Metra Electric and Rock Island fares within the city limits is equivalent to CTA fares if I remember correctly.  I also believe the Cook County south suburban zone fares were also lowered on those lines.  I don't know when this pilot expires nor if it has had any effect on ridership.

[Tcmetro]

I would imagine that the lower fares is a driver of why the ME has the highest post-covid ridership retention of any line on weekends. 

ME is much more convenient than 352 or 353 (or some other Pace combination) to the Red Line at 95th.